
New task force looks to boost Northeast Ohio music industry
Things are looking up for local musicians and venue owners with the creation of Cuyahoga LIVE!, a task force focused on strengthening Northeast Ohio's music scene.
Why it matters: The task force, led by Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, represents one of the most significant partnerships in Cleveland history between local government and the live entertainment industry.
Catch up quick: Cuyahoga LIVE! comes on the heels of the 2023 Greater Cleveland Music Census, which surveyed nearly 2,800 industry professionals, venue owners and musicians.
The resulting 24-page report found that Cleveland has a "relatively healthy music ecosystem," but improvements are needed.
That includes better marketing and audience development, tax breaks and grants for venues, and more inclusivity.
It also suggested creating a local music commission to manage initiatives.
The intrigue: The first move for Cuyahoga LIVE! is to form committees to examine ways to improve audience and workforce development, culture and belonging, and artist and industry support.
Cuyahoga LIVE! will serve as a precursor to a full-time local music commission in charge of implementing initiatives outlined in the census.
What they're saying:"This needed to happen," Sean Watterson, co-owner of Happy Dog and co-founder of the Cleveland Independent Venue Association, tells Axios.
"The goal is to identify what the priorities are for a music commission so that when we're at a stage where we get funding, we're clear on what we need to do."
💭 Troy's thought bubble: I've covered music on a local level for nearly 20 years. Anyone involved will tell you it's extremely challenging to succeed.
While it was already tough before COVID, venue owners like Watterson tell me it's gotten even tougher post-pandemic — recovering from financial hardships and adjusting to new industry trends.
Watterson says the difference between Cuyahoga LIVE! and other like-minded plans of the past is the involvement of a high-ranking local official like Ronayne, who listed the local music industry as a priority in his 2024 State of the County address.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Axios
38 minutes ago
- Axios
Fans are wearing bald caps to Pitbull shows. Miami rapper thanks his "baldies"
Ladies love him. Everyone wants to be him — bald head and all. Pitbull, the Miami native and club-rap superstar, is embracing a viral trend where fans show up to his concerts wearing bald caps and fake beards to copy his signature look. Why it matters: It's the latest iteration of the concert uniform, as the New York Times describes it, popularized by artists like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and — historically — the late Florida singer Jimmy Buffett. Catch up quick: The social media-fueled phenomenon started after COVID-19 but has gone "to a whole other level" during Pitbull's current European tour, the rapper — real name: Armando Christian Pérez — told BBC News. The globe-trotting Cuban-American artist, nicknamed Mr. Worldwide, has always been a favorite target for fan imitation: His quotable lyrics ("Dale!"), nostalgic party anthems and trademark look have made his brand eternally durable. The latest: Masses of fans showed up to his London concert on Monday in full Pitbull regalia, turning the crowd into a "sea of nude latex," the Times reported. "To wander among the Pitbulls feels like Halloween night, if Halloween had only one costume option and it was Pitbull," Times reporter Callie Holtermann wrote. "I'm pretty sure every party shop in London is sold out of bald caps," a fan told the newspaper. Pitbull, ever the business man, even started selling a " Mr. 305 kit" with a bald cap and bowtie for $19.99. Outside the O2 Arena, fans told the Times that it was "one big inside joke" or "mob mentality" that motivated them to draw on fake mustaches with liquid eyeliner and cut up stockings to make bald caps. It resembled, per the Times, "one of the planet's largest and most haphazardly assembled drag shows." What they're saying: Pitbull told the BBC it's "an honor" and makes him "very happy" to have fans dress as him for his shows. "To be able to motivate and inspire them, and see that they feel that it's deeper than just music, like they're a part of a movement and have a purpose in what we got going on, that to me is priceless." The bottom line:"So to all the baldies, thank you, I appreciate you — and they're the baldies because we soar high like bald eagles."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hilary Duff's ‘Lizzie McGuire' Co-Star Jake Thomas On Revival Series 'Falling Apart': 'It Was Bad Timing'
It's been over five years since the Lizzie McGuire revival series was officially scrapped, and Jake Thomas is weighing in. The former Disney Channel actor who played Hilary Duff's little brother Matt in the comedy explained why the sequel series didn't move forward. More from Deadline Hilary Duff On The 'Lizzie McGuire' Flashback On 'How I Met Your Father' Writer On Canceled 'Lizzie McGuire' Reboot Details Plot That Might Have Made Disney Uncomfortable 'Project Runway' Season 21 Gets Premiere Date & First Look Teaser With Heidi Klum As Host On Freeform, Hulu & Disney+ Reboot 'Sometimes that just happens,' Thomas told E! News. 'It was bad timing with everything. It was right at the beginning of COVID.' The sequel series was announced during the Disney D23 Expo in 2019 and was being developed for the new Disney+ streaming service. However, the original series' creator, Terri Minsky, stepped down in January 2020. Duff took to social media to ask Disney to move the series to Hulu, allowing the character to live more authentically to her age. Despite the series being canceled altogether, Thomas finds it 'crazy how embedded Lizzie McGuire has become within a millennial culture as something that we're still referencing today,' adding, 'It blows my mind, and I'm thankful for that.' The revival series would've brought back the original cast members, and in 2024, one of the writers of the series revealed that two episodes were filmed. Jonathan Hurwitz said in a TikTok video that the first episode found Lizzie living in New York City as an interior designer. Lizzie soon finds out her chef boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend, which prompts her to return to her childhood home in California, where animated Lizzie is waiting for her. Hurwitz noted that Episode 3 didn't end up getting filmed, and believed this was the episode that Disney might have had some issues with. 'Episode 3 wasn't filmed, but there was a script for it,' Hurwitz said. 'Lizzie wakes up in Ethan's bed, in his water polo t-shirt. Animated Lizzie pops up and she has this little checklist, like a to-do list, and Ethan is on the list and she checks it off.' Hurwitz continued, 'I think she says something like, 'I checked that box –dramatic pause– twice.' So if I had to guess, I saw another comment about certain storylines [about] why Disney wasn't comfortable with it, my guess was… that moment was probably one of them.' In an interview on Watch What Happens Live in 2023, Duff continued to be optimistic about the revival getting another shot, saying the show 'lived up to her vision.' She added, 'Disney+ was very new and I think they were figuring out their… and we were figuring out our… and I am optimistic.' Since the launch of Disney+, the lines between Disney's streaming platforms have been blurred. Subscribers of both services can see Hulu's content within the Disney+ app. Shows not necessarily Disney+ friendly, like The Kardashians, The Handmaid's Tale, and Only Murders in the Building, are available on the Disney+ platform for those with the bundle. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery

Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
AMC makes major theater change that will frustrate customers
AMC Theaters (AMC) had a rough start to 2025. The theater chain suffered a major loss as it struggled to attract moviegoers, despite major releases such as "Captain America: Brave New World," "Snow White," "Wolf Man," and "Dog Man." In its first-quarter earnings report for 2025, AMC revealed that its total revenues fell by about 9% year-over-year, while movie theater attendance in the U.S. dropped by 11%. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter AMC also reported a net loss of $202.1 million during the quarter, which is higher than the $163.5 million net loss it suffered during the same quarter last year. Related: AMC announces generous offer to win back customers "Setting aside those first quarters directly impacted by Covid and its aftermath, the January to March industry box office in 2025 was the lowest it has been since 1996," said AMC CEO Adam Aron in the report. The dip in attendance comes after AMC's average movie ticket price in the U.S. reached $12.31 during the first quarter of this year, which is higher than the $12.19 average it reported for the same quarter in 2024. Movie ticket prices have been rising over the past few years amid inflation. According to recent data from The Numbers, the average movie ticket price in the U.S. was $11.31 in 2024, which is 3% higher than the $10.94 average in 2023. As prices increase, some consumers have been avoiding movie theaters like the flu. A recent survey from the Wall Street Journal found that 65% of consumers said they prefer to watch movies at home, while 35% said they prefer to watch films in theaters. Amid this trend, AMC has made a bold move to dodge further price increases; however, customers may not be thrilled about the decision. The theater chain has reportedly landed a deal with cinema advertising company National CineMedia to run more commercials before movie screenings begin, according to a recent report from The New York Times. AMC claims this deal will allow it to rely less on increasing movie ticket prices to boost its revenue. Related: Paramount makes drastic decision amid shift in customer behavior "For the past five years, AMC has sought out crucial revenue that is not reliant on the increase of base ticket prices," said AMC in a statement to the Times, adding "while AMC was initially reluctant to bring this to our theaters, our competitors have fully participated for more than five years without any direct impact to their attendance." The move from AMC comes after its top rivals, Regal and Cinemark, signed the same deal with National CineMedia in 2019. AMC was also offered the deal that same year; however, it "flatly rejected" it due to its concerns that "U.S. moviegoers would react quite negatively to the concept," according to a press release. The deal is expected to make pre-show advertisements last, on average, 20 to 30 minutes long. It is no surprise that AMC is continuing to dodge increasing its ticket prices as it has recently made several attempts to make moviegoing more affordable for consumers, who are battling inflation and higher costs of living. A few months ago, the theater chain added a new A-List Classic tier subscription to its flagship subscription service AMC Stubs A-List. The new tier offers a lower-price plan for guests who prefer to watch a maximum of one movie per week at AMC Classic locations. It also made several tweaks to AMC Stubs A-List to attract more frugal customers, such as expanding A-List weekly movie access from three titles a week to four, and lowering the age eligibility from 16 to 13 to attract more teens and families into theaters. During an earnings call in May, Aron said these changes are "designed to ease the pain of a healthy price increase." Related: Disney CEO offers unexpected response to tariff concerns The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.